When times get tough ... the tough get going. We all know about the
original Ten Commandments, but have you ever heard of "The Second Ten
Commandments"? Read them ; apply them to your life. It just might help
you through the hard times.

I. Thou shall not worry, for worry is the most unproductive of all human
activities.

You can't saw sawdust. A day of worry is more exhausting than a day of
work. People get so busy worrying about yesterday or tomorrow, they
forget about today. And today is what you have to work with.

II. Thou shall not be fearful, for most of the things we fear never come
to pass.

Every crisis we face is multiplied when we act out of fear. Fear is a
self-fulfilling emotion. When we fear something, we empower it. If we
refuse to concede to our fear, there is nothing to fear.

III. Thou shall not cross bridges before you come to them, for no one
yet has succeeded in accomplishing this.

Solve the issues before you right now. Tomorrow's problems may not even
be problems when tomorrow comes!

IV. Thou shall face each problem as it comes. You can only handle one at
a time anyway.

In one of my favorite "Peanuts" comic strips, Linus says to Charlie
Brown, "There is no problem so big it cannot be run away from." I
chuckle every time I think about it because it sounds like such a simple
solution to a problem. Problem solving is not easy so don't make it
harder than it is.

V. Thou shall not take problems to bed with you, for they make very poor
bedfellows.

Just remember that all your problems seem much worse in the middle of
the night. If I wake up thinking of a problem, I tell myself that it
will seem lighter in the morning and it always is.

VI. Thou shall not borrow other people's problems. They can better care
for them than you can. I must confess that I have broken this
commandment because I wanted to help someone out, without being asked,
or I thought I was more equipped to handle a situation. But I wouldn't
have to deal with the consequences, either.

VII. Thou shall not try to relive yesterday. For good or ill, it is
forever gone.

Concentrate on what is happening in your life and be happy now! We
convince ourselves that life will be better after we get a better job,
make more money, get married, have a baby, buy a bigger house and so on.
Yet the accomplishment of any of those events may not make any
difference at all. The Declaration of Independence says we are endowed
"with certain unalienable rights that among these are life, liberty and
the pursuit of happiness." You are responsible for your own happiness.

VIII. Thou shall be a good listener, for only when you listen do you
hear ideas different from your own.

You can win more friends with your ears than with your mouth. Hearing is
one of the body's five senses, but listening is an art. Your success
could hinge on whether you have mastered the skill of listening. Most
people won't listen to what you're saying unless they already feel that
you have listened to them. When we feel we are being listened to, it
makes us feel as if we are being taken seriously and what we say really
matters.

IX. Thou shall not become "bogged down" by frustration, for 90 percent
of it is rooted in self-pity and will only interfere with positive
action.

Seriously, has frustration ever improved a situation? Better to take a
break, collect your thoughts, and redirect your attention to a positive
first step. Then go on from there.

X. Thou shall count thy blessings, never overlooking the small ones, for
a lot of small blessings add up to a big one.

We all have something to be grateful for, even on the worst days. Hey,
you're still on the green side of the grass, aren't you?

Mackay's Moral: These may not be chiseled in stone, but try them --
they'll make your life less rocky.

This was written by Uncle Harvey MacKay. Uncle Harvey ... you are a
smart man.



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